Making the decision to enter a loved one into a long-term care situation like a nursing home or memory care facility is always a big decision. It also can be a time fraught with emotion, uncertainty, and even feelings of guilt and fear. These emotional challenges come in addition to logistical and financial ones as well.
While professional elder care offers benefits like safety, medical support, and structure, the emotional challenges are real and should be acknowledged. Perhaps the best solution to these problems is by staying active in the life of your loved one.
Staying involved in the care of your loved ones goes beyond regular visits. You and your family can also participate in care planning, take care of yourself so you’re at your best for your loved one, and provide emotional support. It is also important to strengthen and maintain family-staff relationships, as well as deal progressively with the emotions this time brings up, and not hide or dismiss them.
The continuance of your presence and the presence of your loved ones in your elder’s life is essential. It adds to both wellbeing and longevity in the lives of those who are in care facilities. We know you want to give the best life possible to those you love. Here are some tips.
Understanding Long-Term Care Facilities
It’s first important to understand the different types of Arizona long-term care facilities available to those considering professional care for their elders. They all have subtle differences, but these differences are important in the quality of life for those residing in these facilities.
Family involvement in long-term care is one of the most important factors to making the right decision from the outset, while maintaining healthy distance and financial considerations.
Types of Long-Term Care Options in Arizona
The three most common types of long-term care facilities in Arizona include:
Skilled Nursing Facilities
These facilities are for residents specifically needing 24-hour medical care, such as feeding, wound dressing, etc. These facilities are often split between short-term care patients who are most often coming from the hospital and heading home, and residents requiring lifelong care.
Memory Care Units and Facilities
Memory care is for residents with severe dementia or Alzheimer’s disease who need a greater level of care than those in other facilities. Activities and care are centered directly around memory issues and these facilities generally feature greater security, enrichment tied to memory issues, and specialized staff. Some facilities are devoted entirely to memory care, while others consist of wings in a larger facility.
Assisted Living Facilities
These are facilities for the elderly who need some extra help for daily tasks, but don’t need 24-hour medical supervision or don’t have significant medical or memory issues. These facilities come in many different shapes and styles, from large apartment-style living homes to smaller settings.
How Facilities Support Residents’ Quality of Life
All of these facilities are designed to support the daily care of the elderly in many different ways, from adequate nutrition to enrichment activities tailored to the unique needs of residents. Typical activities of the above facilities include:
- Medication management
- Companionship
- Nutrition
- Assistance with daily habits and grooming
- Recreation
- Safety
- Transportation
- And more
Staff members play an incredibly important role in all of the above activities, and are among the most important considerations in choosing a care home for your loved ones. How they care for residents are among the greatest factors in happiness within facilities.
However, staff members often cannot take the place of family, and your role in the emotional support and quality of life for your loved ones is crucial.
Ways Families Can Stay Involved
Staying involved with the lives of your loved ones doesn’t have to be a chore or be difficult. Here are some simple ways you might be able to participate in the lives of your loved ones in care facilities.
Regular Visits and Maintaining Communication
The most obvious and the most important way to stay connected is to call and visit your loved one frequently. Even short visits, if they are consistent, can make a whole world of difference to the happiness of your loved one and your ability to stay connected.
Your visits provide direct emotional comfort to residents. When in-person visits are not possible (and one of the major concerns you want to think about when choosing a facility is proximity) phone calls, video calls, and mail are great options that can bring smiles to the faces of those you love.
If possible, set a visiting schedule so you don’t disrupt the new lives of your loved ones and they can look forward to your visits. Also consider bringing food, games, old photographs, and other sources of entertainment.
Participating in Care Planning and Decision-Making
Another step you can take to stay involved is directly participating in the care and decision making of your loved ones. A great way to do this is by planning a meeting with facility staff, or scheduling regular meetings to get all the details about your loved ones medications, doctors appointments, general health, enrichment activities, etc. These meetings are best done face-to-face, if possible.
Navigating Emotions as a Family Member
Taking care of your family members also means taking care of yourself. Feelings of guilt are common when placing your loved one in a care facility, but it’s usually best to keep a brave face for those you love.
Try celebrating positive moments and milestones, join a support group, seek therapy, and practice self care. Remember you can’t pour from an empty pitcher, so being your best self can help your loved ones as well. Remember, placing a loved one in care is not abandoning them, it is a responsible decision.
Supporting Residents’ Quality of Life
Activities are more meaningful and fun when experienced with family. It can be a great thrill when families join for daily or weekly activities. Even something like watching television with your loved one can offer a sense of comfort and belonging. A regular activity shared together can also offer something for residents to look forward to. These are also great times to get to know staff.
Strengthening Family-Staff Relationships
Open communication between staff members and families is exceptionally important when looking after the care and housing of your loved ones. This communication can help spot problems before they arise, help build trust with the staff, plan events that may make your loved ones happy, and help to ask questions or voice concerns when the need arises.
The studies are clear — family involvement helps improve outcomes in long-term care.
Looking for Elder Care in Arizona? Call Us Today
As always, family engagement improves well-being for those in facilities. In our facilities, located across Arizona, we always encourage consistent communication between residents and their support system.
If you are looking for ways to stay connected or would like to discuss options for a family member who may need care, contact us today.
Sources:
Gaugler, J. (2005). Family Involvement in Residential Long-Term Care: A Synthesis and Critical Review.
Hovenga, N., et al. (2022). Family Involvement in Nursing Homes: An Interpretative Synthesis of Literature.
Long-Term Care Facilities: Assisted Living, Nursing Homes, and Other Residential Care. (2025).